MAGLITE S4D016 Heavy-Duty 4-D Cell Flashlight, Black

What's in the Box
Flashlight, spare bulb

Amazon.com Review
Bright lights, burly cases, fail-safe on/off switches, virtual indestructibility: there are very good reasons to rave about Mag Instrument flashlights. It goes without saying that a flashlight defeats its own purpose if it can't be trusted, which is why so many people spend a little extra for this four D-cell Mag-Lite. We've dropped ours off ladders, kicked it down stairs--just generally abused the thing--and it lights up now just as readily as it did when we first turned it on. Speaking of which, the on/off switch is one of the first things to fail on generic flashlights. Mag-Lite's switch is rubber coated and weather protected; frankly, it seems incapable of ever wearing out, even after thousands of clicks. Plus, twisting the flashlight's head gives you an option between a tight beam and a floodlight. More importantly, the combination of a supertough krypton gas lamp and high-quality reflectors provides unusually bright light. There's also an extra lamp in the tail cap so you've always got a backup--how many other flashlights deliver that?

But the Mag's indestructibility is its main selling point. Mag Instrument builds its flashlights with ultrastrong aluminum alloy cases that have been anodized both inside and out to resist rust. High-quality O-rings at both openings keep water away from the batteries. It's hard to imagine damaging one of these lights. Think of it this way: if, as one of our customers suggests, there were a kingdom of flashlights, Mag-Lite would be crowned king. --Jon Groebner

The primary job of a flashlight is, not surprisingly, to create light. Mag gets more light out of their flashlights than anybody. Maybe it's the bulb, or the reflector. But NO flashlight will come close to putting out as much light as a Mag.

Another quality we hope to find in any product is functionality -- does it work every time, or mainly when you don't need it? I can't recall more than a time or two that a Mag failed to come on. I've dropped them from heights that would have destroyed anything less and they still worked.

I have an old black AA-size Mini-Mag here that spent about a decade in the cockpits of airplanes -- the poorest lighted places this side of the Black Forest -- so it got a world of use. The place on the end cap for attaching a lanyard or hanging ring is worn completely through. But the little guy still works like a charm.

The switch on this D-cell model is under live rubber; it has a solid click on and off. The beam is adjustible to a sharp spot. You'll probably want to set it there and leave it alone.

I am certain that batteries last longer in a Mag-lite. The only explanation for this would seem to be that a tiny bit of battery drain occurs on some others. Before I became 100% converted to Mags I would too often pick up a flashlight that was full of dead batteries. I can go for years without changing the batteries in a Mag-lite.

All Mags are rugged. The barrels are sturdy aluminum extrusions -- not plastic or stamped metal. Both end caps have O rings to keep the case waterproof. And who else would be so thoughtful as to put an extra bulb in the bottom endcap?

A reviewer below had a legitimate gripe about tubular things not staying put on anything but a level surface. Of course, that has been a complaint for years about pens and all kinds of tubular devices. This can be cured for the Mag-Lite with a very small bungee cord. Tie several knots in it until it is shortened enough to fit tight around the barrel. The knots will keep the light from rolling around.

I like the new hot red Mag-Lites. Anybody with any sense at all would know a pretty red flashlight would throw more light than a black one. It just stands to reason.


Quality Flashlight   March 14, 2000
18 out of 20 found this review helpful

This flashlight is built to last a lifetime. If you're an engineer you'll like the design and quality of this product. I'm a little surprised that the price isn't higher. The aluminum is of a heavy enough gauge to resist dings, the switch has a good crisp feel to it, and the fit of the parts is very good. It has a good heavy feel to it (even without the batteries). Only negative: you have to be careful where you sit it because it will get away from you fast and it is too tall to stand on end. Would be perfect with a non-round head shape that would resist rolling.


A Terrific & Dependable Ally When You Need One!   October 21, 2000
Barron Laycock (Temple, New Hampshire United States)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

Anyone who lives as far out in the rural countryside as I do gets accustomed to power interruptions, whether they are due to downed power lines from ice storms, someone hitting a key telephone pole and knocking out a transformer, or is the result of one of the occassional electrical storms we have during the warmer months of the year. In any and all of these circumstances I can always depend on my collection of mag-lights to see me through the darkness of the house in order to light my well-used candles and oil lamps until the power is finally restored. I also have one in each of my two trucks, and when I recently narrowly missed hitting a startled deer late at night and went off the road into a muddy field, the trusty mag light was invaluable in helping me find a winching point to pull myself out of the muddy gully. So, whether it is a venture down into the blackened hole my basement becomes late at night, or finding my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I can always depend on my mag lights to candle-power my way wherever I am going. I have three or four of the larger ones like the one displayed here, but actually have more than five or six of the smaller ones as well. I love mine, and although I seem to misplace at least one or two a year, I always have an ample supply of both mag-lights and replacement batteries because I find they are absolutely essential out here in the woods. Get one today.